In the Market for a Sneak Peek

'Habit' Starts With a Script and Then Discards Every Other Theater Convention

By

Lana Bortolot

Sept. 20, 2012 11:00 p.m. ET

People wandering into "Habit," the experimental and experiential play opening Friday for 10 days in the Essex Street Market, may wonder what they've gotten themselves into.

And it's not just the audience who may be challenged—the show's cast often doesn't know what's going on, to say nothing of its creators. Presented as part of the French Institute Alliance Française's Crossing the Line Festival, the 90-minute melodrama by playwright Jason Grote and director David Levine loops continuously for eight hours,...